The Halal Accreditation Council (Guarantee) Ltd. (a not for profit organisation duly incorporated under the Companies Act No. 7 of 2007 of Sri Lanka and referred to as HAC) was recently certified ISO 9001:2015 by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) for its Quality Management System.

‘Halal food,’ ‘Halal ingredients,’ ‘Halal certified restaurants;’ the term ‘halal’ is commonly used in day to day contexts. The term itself has caused much controversy, even in Sri Lanka, mostly because of a lack of proper understanding. The term ‘halal’ is an Arabic word meaning ‘things or actions, lawful, permitted or allowable in Islam’. In terms of food production this covers a wide scope, which includes the entire production of a food item, from the raw materials used to the processing, packaging and delivering.

Sri Lanka is well poised to follow examples set by countries like Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia South Korea and Singapore in reaping economic benefits by catering to the ever-growing US$ 2.3 Trillion global Halal conscious market.This was the key message emphasized by multiple speakers at the inaugural conference organized by Halal Accreditation Council (HAC) under the theme “Opportunities for Sri Lankan Exporters in the Global Halal Market” held at Galadari Hotel in Colombo on 28th July 2016.

Date that tastes wonderfully sweet and rich in minerals and vitamins, is a fruit that come out of date palm that has existed for at least 50 million years according to fossil records. Archeological evidence indicted cultivation of dates in Mehrgarh (now in West Pakistan) around 7000 BCE. Thus date fruit is believed to be one of the oldest cultivated tree crops.

Date occupies a pretty special position in religious scriptures being mentioned 50 times in the Bible and 20 times in the Holy Quran. It is one of the seven types of fruits and grains named in the Torah (Deuteronomy 8:8) as the main produce of the land of Israel. It ranks seventh and mentioned as Date Honey that was preserved in the form of extracted syrup.

These references give date the pride of place, it deserves, on earth as the followers of these three great religious scriptures account for more than 50% of the world’s total population!

Numerous research and studies on the benefits of dates done at various universities and scientific centers around the globe bear irrevocable evidence to the fact that dates have many vital nutrients and therefore, undoubtedly a source of many health benefits.

LAHORE: Halal meat exports in Pakistan grew by 9.5% in fiscal year 2014, reaching a record high of $230 million and most exporters say that the market has even more room to grow.

Since 2003, Pakistan’s halal meat exports have grown at a compound annualised growth rate (CAGR) of 29.1%, growing from $14 million in 2003 to $230 million in fiscal 2014, according to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Yet despite the astonishing growth, experts in the field believe that the sector is still underperforming.

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BANGKOK, 29 December 2014 (NNT) - Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha has expressed confidence in the standards of Thai Halal and the industry’s potential to help take Thailand’s food production to the world-class level.

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FAAIF CEO Camille Paldi participates in WIEF Roundtable in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Paldi says that South Korea has taken many steps towards entering the global Islamic finance market including tabling legislation, engaging in training seminars and hosting conferences, as well as joining various Islamic financial regulatory bodies, preparing for sukuk issuance, and tapping into the London Murabahah Exchange.